Peak hour flights could be affected as hundreds of Qantas engineers leave their jobs for the second time in a month over alleged pay disputes.
About 600 line maintenance engineers will carry out two four-hour stoppages during peak travel hours at airports across the country on Friday morning, including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart.
Engineers are responsible for conducting final safety checks before departure and for towing and tidying aircraft.
AWU national secretary Paul Farrow said the major airline has a “history of bad behaviour”.
“As Qantas celebrates another year of multi-million pound profits, we want to remind people that its success and strong safety record and reputation are down to the hard work of its engineers to keep planes in the air,” Mr Farrow said.
“Qantas has a history of bad behaviour: ghost flights, illegally sacking workers, laying off $2bn from the public and paying millions in bonuses to executives, customers speculating on prices – but no one has held them to account.”
Qantas engineers from the Qantas Engineers’ Alliance (QEA), which comprises major aviation unions AMWU, AWU and ETU, will walk out on Friday at 6am AEST and 5pm AEST, for respective two-hour walkouts.
The engineers are demanding a new enterprise agreement with a 15 percent pay increase in the first year, followed by a five percent increase for subsequent years.
Hundreds of Qantas engineers to strike on Friday morning over alleged pay disputes
Qantas workers went on strike over wages in Melbourne and Brisbane on Wednesday (above)
As well as taking part in a strike, the engineers will also attend the Qantas annual general meeting (AGM) in Hobart, scheduled to begin at 11am AEDT.
The salaries of Qantas executive board members are expected to be decided at the meeting.
AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy said: “The industry expects the highest standards, but Qantas offers the lowest wages.”
‘The workers who achieve Qantas’ world-class safety record have fallen off its radar. “Vanessa Hudson needs to show that she can get a fair settlement that allows these workers to return to their jobs and planes to fly safely again,” Mr. Murphy said.
‘The industry expects the highest standards, but Qantas offers the lowest wages. Qantas has refused to meet with the elected negotiating committee as they draw up plans for the Annual General Meeting to approve further increases to executive pay.
“If we are going to link any pay to Qantas performance, it should be the workers who deliver their world-class safety record and it is those workers who should receive the highest pay.”
Strikes will begin during peak travel hours
A Qantas spokesperson said they were aware of Friday’s strike and said no impact was expected for customers.
“There have been some industrial actions by engineers since the end of September and so far we have been able to successfully ensure that this has not resulted in flight delays or cancellations,” the spokesperson said.
‘There was also no impact on our operations following the measures taken earlier this week. Our teams continue to do a great job helping customers reach their destination safely.
‘We had several meetings with the unions before the strike. We want to continue working with them to find a way forward, but they have decided to act.
‘Our preference is to reach an agreement that includes salary increases and other benefits. This includes annual pay rises, increased apprentice pay, as well as new opportunities for career progression and more advanced training.’
Friday’s strike continues similar action in september.
